


I Don't Know How to Tell You I'm Sorry

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: D4DJ First Mix (Anime), D4DJ Groovy Mix (Video Game)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: After a fight, Rinku and Muni don't know how to apologize to each other.
Relationships: Aimoto Rinku/Oonaruto Muni
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	I Don't Know How to Tell You I'm Sorry

**Author's Note:**

> So, the end of season one, huh? That was pretty awesome. This was written after the 12th episode, of course, but still!

Being around Rinku brought Muni the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When the two of them were together, things were great. Even with Maho and Rei there, it felt like there was a special rapport between the two of them that the other members of Happy Around couldn't match. They were childhood friends after all, and that was a bond that couldn't be easily broken. Though, when things were low, it felt like a car crash. Her feelings of doubt, anger, guilt, and loneliness had almost all been assuaged when Rinku showed back up at the school and thrust herself back into her life. New feelings came bubbling to the surface to replace them, though: specifically, jealously. She felt an uncommon amount of anger and hurt whenever she saw Rinku with other girls. It was wrong to feel such a way, but she had just gotten her best friend back. Why couldn't she have any time alone with her?

The times they had to themselves were rare, but Muni cherished them as much as she could. The first time the two of them slept over together since Rinku's return made her heart go crazy on the beat, though she expertly hid those feelings from everyone. However, their latest sleepover did not go nearly as well. In fact, it couldn't even be classified as a sleepover, since there was no sleeping, and there wasn't even any 'over'. It was supposed to be a happy, heart-pumping night, and it was completely ruined. As usual, it was all her stupid fault.

She wasn't sure why she had even bought that stupid exercise game. It must have been some futile attempt to get in shape, but obviously she was never going to do that. Her level one account showed that quite clearly. Or, at least, it _had_ been level one. Before Rinku had come over, she'd gotten herself up to level three. It wasn't much: in fact, it was hardly anything. She wanted to look more impressive to Rinku, though, as unimpressive as it may sound. Rinku seemed excited, though that may have just been because she was always excited.

At least Rinku looked good while playing the game. She was excitable and bouncing around while beefing up her character. Her energy was almost tireless, and certainly leaps and bounds beyond her own. In those moments, she didn't mind, since it meant getting to see Rinku work out and show off how active she was... and maybe how nice her arms looked, muscles tensed while stretching out the ring-like controller. However, it was all shattered the moment Rinku got that phone call.

She passed the controller off to Muni, forcing her to take on a boss that was way too difficult for her skill level. It wasn't like she was concentrating anyway, her attention split between trying not to die and listening in on what Rinku was saying. She was talking with one of the Photon Maiden girls, and she sure seemed excited to go eat something with her. That started to build up the tension inside her, slowly simmering to a boil as she kept listening. Each time she got smacked around by the boss, she heard things she didn't want to hear. It all came to a head when she heard Rinku say that she couldn't go, because she was at Muni's house.

It wasn't _what_ she said, because it was accurate: it was the tone. She should've been happy that Rinku didn't drop everything and abandon her because someone else enticed her more, but she wasn't. Rinku's tone was low-key, almost disappointed. She was disappointed that she couldn't eat with one of their rivals because she had to spend the night with Muni. Stupid, four-eyed, awkward weird Muni... She was tugging the controller so hard she almost broke it, but it didn't change anything on the screen: the boss had soundly defeated her.

Her mind was clouded with so many emotions: anger, pain, jealousy, all of those terrible feelings that weren't good for her mental or emotional health. It felt like she was entering a tunnel, with the screen in front of her fuzzing out. Sight wasn't the primary sensation for her now. It was feelings, and she was _hurt_. Why did Rinku have to come back just to tease and twist her heart like that? Everything was supposed to stay the same, but now Rinku had become so popular that she just didn't have time to spend with Muni exclusively anymore. It wasn't fair!

"Muni-chan? How are you doing?" Rinku's voice snapped her out of the tunnel she was running full steam through. For a moment, while gathering her bearings, she thought that Rinku was asking how she was doing personally. It wasn't until she heard her next words that she realized she had been mistaken. "Oh, you died. Aww, that's okay! You'll get 'em next time!" She patted Muni on the shoulder, which felt like a dull thud reverberating in her ears. Rinku didn't want to be near her. Nobody wanted to be near her. She'd rather be with their _rivals_ , eating and laughing, enjoying their time together that didn't involve her. That made something inside her snap.

"Get out." Rather than having a complete blow-up, her voice turned frosty. It was like she had turned down the temperature in the house twenty degrees just with her voice.

"Muni-chan?" Rinku tilted her head into her vision, staring at her with concern. That wasn't going to break her, though. She wasn't going to break in front of Rinku, or anybody.

"Go home, Rinku." She refused to look at Rinku. Instead, she stared straight at the floor, her arms at her side. Her hands closed into fists, her left hand tight around the controller. Everything was going red, shaking around her vision. She wasn't going to break. She wouldn't break.

It was quiet for about twenty seconds, and she could imagine Rinku standing there, her brain churning for something to say. "Okay, Muni-chan. I'll go." Still she refused to look up: not when she heard Rinku gathering her stuff, nor when she heard the door opening. "I'll... see you at school, Muni-chan." Then she was gone, the door slamming behind her. It was only then that she allowed her well-made facade to crack. Her eyes were pricking with tears, then more, and more, until finally it all came bursting out of her like a waterfall.

She collapsed onto her knees, tears streaming down her face. A part of her brain made her want to stand up and run outside, tears be damned, and call Rinku back, but she couldn't. She was so _angry_. Why couldn't Rinku just spend one night with her without feeling like she was missing out on something else. Was she just the worst opportunity cost in the world? What was so bad about hanging out with her anyway? Rinku was supposed to be her friend. They were supposed to be close. She... wasn't supposed to react like that.

Each time she tried to wipe away her tears, more came down to replace them. She didn't have to react that way to Rinku. She knew that Rinku was dense, and she wouldn't understand what she was doing to her. Not that it made her feel any better. It took a few more minutes, but eventually her tears dried up and she slowly stood back up. In a daze, she put away her controller, turned off her console, and went to bed. She was too out of it to shower or get ready for bed in any other way. She didn't bother to change into her pajamas, instead falling face first onto her bed in her school uniform.

All she really had was Rinku, so of course she had chased her away by being irrational. In that moment, she would've given anything to reverse time and not do what she did. It wasn't Rinku's fault that she was being angry to cover up her own guilt...

* * *

Things were awkward at school the next day, and everyone in the group knew it. Both Rinku and Muni were out of step with each other, particularly Rinku. During practice, Maho tried to push through it, but it was no good. No matter how much she tried to excuse it away, something was wrong. Rinku had never danced so poorly before, and she had to find out what was going on.

"Hold on, stop there." Both Rinku and Muni stopped dancing, while Rei watched with concern off to the side. "Rinku, you're way off today. What's going on?" Instead of answering, Rinku looked down at the ground and chewed on her lower lip. That was even more concerning: Rinku was never one to be at a loss for words. Even if she was having an off day, she'd just laugh and admit to what was going on. This was new territory for Maho. She looked towards Muni, who was staring at the wall with a sour look on her face. That was more normal, but... "Muni?"

"I'm going home." The sudden declaration threw both Maho and Rei for a loop. They both just stared at Muni, who was already grabbing her bag from the table. "There's no point in being here. I'll practice on my own." Then she was gone, leaving the others staring at the door in her wake. The attention then naturally turned to Rinku, who was still staring at the door. Maho couldn't see her face, but the negative energy coming off of her was astounding. It was so different from how she usually was.

"I don't understand..." Rinku's voice was so different than it usually was. Instead of her normal chipper tone, she sounded sad, almost broken. When she turned to face them again, Maho let out a gasp: Rinku was crying. "I don't know what I did wrong. Muni-chan..." She started wiping at her eyes, but the tears kept coming. Immediately the two remaining members of the group leapt into action. Maho came running from behind the turntable, heading straight for Rinku, while Rei quickly left the room to catch up to Muni.

"Did something happen between you and Muni?" She put her hands on Rinku's shoulders, gently massaging her shoulders. It was obvious something had happened, but she needed to hear from Rinku exactly _what_ happened.

"Yeah, but I don't know what." Rinku had stopped crying, but the effects were still clear on her face. Her eyes were red, and she seemed far from the girl Maho had grown to know. "We were sleeping over, and she got mad at me. I don't know why, but... but I want to fix it. I don't want Muni-chan to be mad at me." Through her sadness, there was something familiar blinking in her eyes: the desire to rush forward until whatever she wanted was accomplished. It made Maho smile, if only slightly. That was the Rinku she knew.

Meanwhile, just outside the practice room... "Muni-san, wait up!" She hadn't expected anyone to follow her. Storming out like that was supposed to put an exclamation point on the conversation, but apparently Rei wanted to write another sentence. Sighing, she stopped in place, staring straight ahead as she heard Rei's footsteps approaching. She had to fix her face, making sure she wasn't crying like she wanted to.

"What is it, Rei?" She felt a stab of guilt in her heart hearing how acidic her tone was. It wasn't Rei's fault that there was a rift brewing between herself and Rinku. She shouldn't be lashing out, but she didn't know how to take it back, so she just stood there angrily, letting all of her negative emotions fester silently within herself.

"Why don't we walk home together?" It hurt to hear the anger in Muni's voice, but she knew it was coming from a place of hurt, and it wasn't aimed at her specifically. Besides, if she turned tail at the first sign of resistance, she wouldn't be able to help the two of them mend whatever issues had come up between them. Thankfully, Muni just huffed and shrugged, allowing the two of them to walk home together.

"What happened between you and Rinku-san?" Well, she might as well get straight to the point. She saw Muni stiffen, but she soon deflated with a deep sigh.

"I messed up again..." It was difficult for her to admit that, but the issues between her and Rinku were now out in the open. Trying to hide the truth from Rei was just delaying the inevitable. "I got mad at Rinku for ignoring me, but..." She sucked in a breath before admitting something that she had never told anyone before. "... but I was just mad at myself, because I never sent Rinku another letter."

"Another letter? What do you mean?"

"... When Rinku moved to Africa, we promised each other that we would always write letters to each other. We did that for years, but... eventually I just stopped writing them." Her head hung low, but from the side, Rei could see how guilty Muni looked. It must have been weighing on her heart for years now. "When I saw that she had returned to Japan, I was sure that she would have forgotten me, but she hadn't. Then I thought she would've been mad at me for not writing, but she hasn't ever mentioned it. She doesn't know how guilty she makes me feel every time she smiles at me and acts like everything's okay."

"That was years ago, right? I'm sure she's forgotten about it by now." It was easy for her to say that, having not known Rinku as a child. At least the Rinku she knew now didn't seem like someone who would hold a grudge, especially not against someone she was so close with. It was obvious how tight the two of them were, no matter how many times Muni tried to pretend otherwise.

"Well I haven't!" She stopped, forcing Rei to stop as well. Turning towards Rei, she could see all the hurt on Muni's face. It was so powerful that she could feel it as well. "I can never forgive myself for breaking our promise! It's worse because I'm so damn jealous of her... She's so popular, and everyone wants to talk to her. I want her to spend time with me! Only me. Just the two of us, alone. I can't even get a couple of hours with her before someone comes barging in and taking her attention away." Her anger dissipated suddenly, leaving her hanging her head sullenly. "I wish she _was_ mad at me. Then I'd feel better about feeling like this."

"Muni-san..." She wasn't sure what to say to that. She was still trying to navigate through the intricacies of friend interactions, so this was way beyond her level of expertise. Muni didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation regardless. She started walking away, having an aura about her that said 'Do not interact', so she didn't. There had to be something she could do, though. While walking, she kept wracking her brain for ideas that might help solve the problem. "Oh! Why don't you send her a letter now?"

"What?" Such a strange suggestion stopped Muni in her tracks. "What would be the point of that? We both live close to each other now. I don't need to send her a letter when I can just text her."

"It's not about convenience, Muni-san. It's about the memories." She smiled softly, feeling a tinge of forgotten romance in this story of two close friends, torn apart by their own misunderstandings. "You promised her that you would always write to her, and you feel bad about breaking that promise. Why don't you write her a letter explaining what happened and how you feel? Rinku-san will understand, I know she will. You two will be friends again in no time!" She just couldn't imagine Rinku being mad. In fact, she had been crying after Muni had stormed out. This was something she was sure would perk them both back up.

"I... suppose you have a point." She sighed and twirled one of her twintails around her finger, shaking her head and making both twintails bounce back and forth. "I'll try writing a letter, then. Uh, thanks, Rei." That made Rei beam with pride. She was actually helping! Wait until she told Maho the good news! Or the potentially good news.

* * *

Muni had stayed up late that night. Not as late as Maho did, who often came to school with black bags under her eyes, but it was long enough that she didn't get her full beauty sleep. She had spent hours sitting at her desk, pen in hand, trying to write exactly what she needed to say. Well, she hadn't sat at her desk all those hours, exactly. She would get frustrated and she'd end up blowing off some steam playing Hold the Line, but she'd eventually get back to her desk and ruminate on her letter.

It had to be perfect if she was going to send it to Rinku, and that was the problem. Every time she would start her letter, something would catch her eye and she would crumple up the paper and throw it in the trash. She didn't want to underscore the severity of her broken promise, and she didn't want to claim that she was a victim. She needed to explain why she was upset too, or she'd just be leaving Rinku in the dark again. Eventually she ended up with a letter. It was as perfect as it was going to be, and she could only hope that Rinku accepted it.

She had it in an envelope, and she took it to school the next day. While she could have given it to Rinku at any time, she wanted to wait until the end of the day. That way she could give it to her and run away before facing the potential of having her apology rejected. The day was torturous in that way. She ate at her desk by herself for lunch, feeling a pang of longing when she realized that Rinku hadn't even tried to get her attention like yesterday. Why did Rinku have to affect her in this way?

At the end of the school day, she hurried to find Rinku. As expected, she was heading for the practice room, but her attention turned to Muni as she ran full speed for her. "Muni-chan?" Before she could say anything more, Muni took the letter she clutched tightly and slapped it into her hands.

"Here," she muttered, turning on her heel and running down the hall. Rinku called for her, but she didn't turn around, disappearing around the wall. Frowning, Rinku's attention turned to the letter in her hands. What was this? She quickly went about opening it up, pulling out a carefully folded piece of paper. Her eyes widened, instantly recognizing Muni's flowy, pretty handwriting.

_Rinku,_

_I know it's been too long since I last sent you a letter. When we were kids, we promised we would always send each other letters, but I didn't. I broke our promise, and I don't understand how you can still talk to me after that. I didn't mean to break our promise, but I just lost the drive to keep writing. I was a stupid kid back then. Guess I'm still stupid now, though. You don't even know why I'm mad at you. I just got jealous. I finally got you back after all these years, and still I couldn't have you. You were always having your attention taken away, by Maho or Rei, or Kyoko, or Towa. I was angry that you would ignore me for them, even when we had been friends longer. I shouldn't have been angry at you, though. I just wanted you to be angry at me too, so I could justify how I was feeling._

_You mean a lot to me, Rinku. Even when I stopped writing to you, you still meant a lot to me. I didn't want to admit it, but you coming back and recognizing me made me happy. I never thought I would see you again, but you came back, and you embraced me like nothing had happened. There's nothing I can do to ever repay you for that, and I know I've completely ruined what we could have had, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry. You mean everything to me, and I love you. I just never knew how to tell you._

_Muni_

Rinku re-read the letter, then read it again. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she was smiling. Muni had finally explained to her what was wrong. It all made sense now! She remembered those letters, and she did remember how hurt she was when she never got another letter from Muni. That was in the past, though. They were together again, and she didn't want to let this split them apart. Not after how long it had taken for them to come back together. Carefully putting the letter back in its envelopes, she broke out into a full sprint, nearly slamming into several students on the way out. She knew exactly what she needed to do.

It wasn't hard to find Muni once she was done. Sure, she'd had to run home and spend time getting things ready, but she knew that she'd still be there. Exactly as expected, she found Muni sitting with her knees up to her chin in the park tube. Smiling to herself, she rapped her knuckles on the top of the tube, getting Muni's attention. She smiled and waved, but only got sad eyes in response. Muni turned away from her and stared at the tube, which did prick at Rinku's heart. She wouldn't let it get to her, though.

"I read your letter, Muni-chan. It was really sweet of you." Muni didn't answer, but she heard a quiet sniff, which she didn't like to hear. "It did hurt back then when you didn't send a letter back, but it's okay now. We're together again, and I don't need letters when I can talk to you in person!" Another sniff. Frowning, she squatted down next to the entrance. "Can I come in?" Again, no answer, but Muni did scoot further in, allowing Rinku passage. She got in and leaned back, glancing over at Muni.

"I didn't know you felt that way, Muni-chan. I'm really sorry. I just got so excited about being in a DJ group that I wasn't thinking straight." She laughed softly, scooting closer so that their sides were touching. Muni let out a huff, but at least she wasn't trying to get away from her. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Even if I didn't realize it, I was still wrong to do it. You mean a ton to me, Muni-chan. We've been friends for such a long time. I don't want this to make us not friends anymore. There's something I want to give you something, but we need to be standing up."

"Why?" Muni huffed again, but Rinku left the tube and stood up anyway. Sighing, she followed her out, standing up with her arms crossed. She was deliberately not looking at Rinku. "Okay, what do you have to give me? If it's a hug, you know that doesn't change anything."

"I know, but it's not a hug." Reaching into her uniform pocket, Rinku pulled out one of her seashells. However, this wasn't just a seashell: there was a piece of string roped through it, turning the shell into a necklace. She put it over Muni's head, letting it rest around her neck. "I always give seashells to the people I care about, but I care about you so very, very much. So I thought, 'What can I do for my bestest friend who I upset and I want to forgive me?' I decided to make you a shell necklace, and..." She pulled a second one out of her pocket, putting it around her own neck. "... I made one for myself, so we match! Now we can both wear proof that we're always going to be the closest of friends."

Muni had been trying to hold it in when Rinku pulled out that seashell necklace. When she revealed her own, and explained what they were for, it was too late. The floodgates were opened, and she began crying like a baby. She hadn't ever wanted to cry in front of Rinku, but obviously it was too late for that. Without a word, Rinku pulled her into her arms, and she cried on her shoulder instead. She hugged Rinku tightly, sobbing and sputtering out words that could only be half-understood through her blubbering.

"I'm sorry, Rinku, I'm sorry! You were supposed to hate me, and I'm so stupid, and I just wanted you to be with me!" She couldn't believe that Rinku would still want to have anything to do with her after all of that. It was a testament to Rinku's patience, or maybe her utter naivete, that she would still want to be friends. Maybe she ought to count her lucky stars and not rock the boat any further. She still held onto Rinku, with the only noise being her continued cries. Finally her sobs softened, until she was finally able to pull away from Rinku and collect herself. Her vision was obscured by tears, then her sleeve as she hastily wiped her tears away. It wasn't until she lowered her arm that she realized how close Rinku was, and then their lips were pressed together.

"Huh?" It was a quick kiss, with Rinku's lips gone before she even realized it. The sensation stayed behind though, lingering across her lips. She slowly pressed two fingers to her lips, as if she couldn't believe that Rinku had just kissed her. Was she dreaming? How had they gone from her crying her eyes out to her getting her first kiss? As she started to realize just what had happened, her cheeks started to become flushed. She crossed her arms tightly, pouting deeply. "Wh-What was that for?!"

"Well, I just wanted to kiss you!" It was such a simple answer, and it would have sounded ridiculous if anyone else had said it. It was Rinku though, so it was completely believable. "Besides, aren't you supposed to kiss the ones you love?" Well that took a sudden turn. Muni's blush grew deeper, and she couldn't hide it from Rinku. Thank goodness nobody else was milling around in their area of the park.

"Wh-What are you even saying? You don't _kiss_ everyone you love. I don't see you kissing Maho or Rei." Her voice took on a sour tone, mentally berating herself for even putting such cursed images in her mind.

"Of course I love Maho-chan and Rei-chan, but I _love_ love you, Muni-chan. So of _course_ I'm going to kiss you!" She was smiling brightly, her energy so much more positive than it had been at any point since they'd had their falling out. "You love me too, right? You said so in your letter." Oh right, she _had_ written that. Again, she was the cause of her embarrassment as much as she was her agony.

"Y-Yeah, I did... Okay fine, I love you, Rinku! I love love you!" She was blushing fiercely as she shouted her declaration of love. It definitely had an effect on Rinku, who actually began to blush as well. She was still smiling like crazy though, and she pulled Muni in for another kiss. This one was no mere peck: it was a long, slow, and deep kiss, and Rinku was putting every ounce of love she had for Muni in it. It was only fair that Muni did the same. They kissed until they were out of breath, forcing them to pull away. Seeing each other so winded and actually smiling, they couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously Muni-chan, I do love you. You've always been really important to me. I'm sorry we had to fight for you to know. I just didn't know how to apologize and tell you." That was so familiar it hurt.

"I felt the same way," she admitted, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the ground. "I let jealousy get the best of me. I don't want to fight again, because... because I want you to always know that you're number one to me." Somehow, Rinku's bright smile only got brighter, like the setting sun was rising again.

"Aww, you're my number one too, Muni-chan!" She hugged Muni again, and then they were kissing again. They were making up for lost time, for all those years apart, and for the weeks of misunderstandings. They were expressing their apologies in the way they stared into each others' eyes and the light blushes on their faces. After everything they had gone through, it finally felt like things would be okay. Rinku reached out and grabbed Muni's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Can we sleepover tonight? Just the two of us. No phone calls." Muni smiled: she didn't need to think twice about that. Holding Rinku's hand, she nodded happily.

"I can't wait."


End file.
